February 24, 2012 9:58 am
Published by Stanford Blood Center
By Billie Rubin, Hemoglobin's Catabolic Cousin, reporting from the labs of Stanford Blood Center
Usually living cells have a nucleus where the chromosomes and DNA live, and a number of other organelles that are involved in making energy, proteins, repairs to itself, etc. But our little red blood cell (RBC) friends selflessly throw all of that away when they grow up to have more room for lots of hemoglobin molecules that bind to oxygen, then take all that oxygen to other tissues of the body. This selfless act leaves our RBCs with a diminished life span (just 120 days) because they can't repair themselves.
February 21, 2012 10:49 am
Published by Stanford Blood Center
By Donors & Friends of SBC
Last year for Valentine's Day, we asked you to write haiku poems for those closest to your heart. The response was better than anticipated so we asked for your poems again this year, this time to be written about donating blood and the patients who are fortunate to receive it. In addition to sharing them below, we've turned your three-line works of "heart" into cards, to be delivered to patients at the Palo Alto VA Hospital later this week.
February 17, 2012 1:35 pm
Published by Stanford Blood Center
By Billie Rubin, Hemoglobin's Catabolic Cousin, reporting from the labs of Stanford Blood Center
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "About 1,500 cases of malaria are diagnosed in the United States each year. The vast majority of cases in the United States are in travelers and immigrants returning from countries where malaria transmission occurs, many from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia."
February 14, 2012 10:37 am
Published by Stanford Blood Center
By Julie Ruel, Social Media Manager, Stanford Blood Center
Do you consider blood type an important criterion for compatibility with the potential special someone in your life? According to Jenny Nakao Hones, a Japanese American who studies Asian cultures, superstitions, and customs, "One of the most popular methods in Japan that is gaining popularity around Asia is blood type analysis. Similar to other horoscope systems, blood type
has charts that indicate compatibility."
February 7, 2012 3:23 pm
Published by Stanford Blood Center
By Julie Ruel, Social Media Manager, Stanford Blood Center
As a blood donor, you are a giving individual by design. We're certain you would donate without recognition and regardless of the day's giveaway. That said, it's important to our organization that we don't take the people behind the blood donations for granted. You are part of a very important, very small population and your loyalty to patients in the community deserves to be recognized.
February 3, 2012 9:20 am
Published by Stanford Blood Center
By Billie Rubin, Hemoglobin's Catabolic Cousin, reporting from the labs of Stanford Blood Center
Ill-conceived blood transfusions go back to the 1600's (disastrous transfusions of lamb's blood into humans), and the discovery of the ABO system goes back to the early 1900s. But just how old is blood itself? A picture from the Smithsonian in 2009 showed a red blood cell (RBC) in the soft tissue of a Tyrannosaurus Rex bone from 68 million years ago.
January 26, 2012 9:29 am
Published by Stanford Blood Center
I am an active 43 year old woman with a strong love for life. I am living with terminal breast cancer and acute leukemia (AML). As a result, I am transfusion dependent and now receive blood and platelets on a weekly basis.
January 20, 2012 9:28 am
Published by Stanford Blood Center
By Billie Rubin, Hemoglobin's Catabolic Cousin, reporting from the labs of Stanford Blood Center
A unit of blood does so much for patients in need. The gift of life is donated, tested, processed and sent to hospitals' transfusion service departments where more important work is done to ensure it is compatible with the recipient.
January 18, 2012 10:32 am
Published by Stanford Blood Center
By Bonnie Westman with the Los Gatos Patch.
Since 2006, Linda Swenberg and Michelle Abene donate platelets at Stanford Blood Center, in addition to significant volunteer work in the community.
January 12, 2012 1:58 pm
Published by Stanford Blood Center
By Melissa Ramos, volunteer guest-blogger for Stanford Blood Center
John Paul Mayor is one of our very regular platelet donors. For our #WhyIGiveBlood campaign, we picked his brain about what inspired him to become a regular donor.
